It is well recognized that lignocellulose materials are not easily digested and assimilated by ruminant animals. The accepted reason for this is that the lignin content and distribution in such plant material binds the cellulose and hemicellulose in the naturally occurring plant material thereby forming a cementing material between the cells. The digestive organs of ruminant animals cannot break down this cementing material and therefore the cellulose content of the plant material does not become available to the animals.
Processes have therefore been developed for chemically converting lignocellulose materials into more digestible form, these processes being directed toward breaking down the lignincellulose bonds. Conversion processes which include an acid treatment of raw lignocellulose material are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,286 and 4,082,859. Conversion processes in which raw lignocellulose material is treated with anhydrous ammonia is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,276.
With respect to the use of poultry litter (cage layer manure) as a feed for ruminants it has long been common practice to incorporate such litter into conventional silage. It has also been suggested that poultry litter alone can be subjected to ensiling. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,859 mentions that the starting material may be poultry litter.